1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to headpieces in implantable cochlear stimulation (or “ICS”) systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
ICS systems are used to help the profoundly deaf perceive a sensation of sound by directly exciting the auditory nerve with controlled impulses of electrical current. Ambient sound pressure waves are picked up by an externally worn microphone and converted to electrical signals. The electrical signals, in turn, are processed by a sound processor, converted to a pulse sequence having varying pulse widths and/or amplitudes, and transmitted to an implanted receiver circuit of the ICS system. The implanted receiver circuit is connected to an implantable electrode array that has been inserted into the cochlea of the inner ear, and electrical stimulation current is applied to varying electrode combinations to create a perception of sound. A representative ICS system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,022, which is entitled “Cochlear Stimulation System Employing Behind-The-Ear Sound Processor With Remote Control” and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
As alluded to above, some ICS systems include an implantable device, a sound processor unit, and a microphone that is in communication with the sound processor unit. The implantable device communicates with the sound processor unit and, to that end, some ICS systems include a headpiece that is in communication with both the sound processor unit and the implantable device. Such headpieces consist of a hollow housing with various components carried within the internal space. Communication between the headpiece and the implantable device is accomplished by way of an antenna carried on the printed circuit board within the headpiece housing and an antenna in the implantable device. In one type of ICS system, the sound processor unit is worn behind the ear (a “BTE unit”), while other types of ICS systems have a body worn sound processor unit (or “body worn unit”). The body worn unit, which is larger and heavier than a BTE unit, is typically worn on the user's belt or carried in the user's pocket. Examples of commercially available ICS sound processors include, but are not limited to, the Advanced Bionics Harmony™ BTE sound processor and the Neptune™ body worn sound processor.
The present inventors have determined that one issue associated with ICS systems is communication between the headpiece antenna and the implantable device antenna. In particular, the present inventors have determined that it would be desirable to provide a headpiece that is configured so as to decrease the distance between the headpiece antenna and the skin and, therefore the distance between the headpiece antenna and the implantable device antenna.